Is it possible to have diastis recti without any pregnancy? (Photo)

There may be abdominal wall laxity after previous surgery.   Find
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before and after pictures.Kenneth Hughes, MDLos Angeles, CA

It is difficult to comment without examining but you can get abdominal wall weakness without pregnancy. Worth checking there is no hernia either. It can take a number of months for you to recover from the appendectomy - was this laparoscopically performed? A tummy tuck remains an option for you but I would leave it another few months for the previous internal scars to settle.

Having a round or protruding abdomen is a common complaint from many prospective body contouring patients. The source can be many but limited to these areas:something under the abdominal wall (fat, dilated bowels, etc)the abdominal wall (loose muscles)something on top of the abdominal wall (fat, swelling, pseudo-bursa, seroma, hematoma)The combination of a CT scan, history, and exam should help define which of these is the source.All the best,Dr. Remus Repta

If you have weak abdominal muscles or diastasis (which you can have without pregnancy), a doctor should be able to see this on physical exam. I don't know for sure without seeing your CT scan and doing an exam (by you saying its normal then a hernia is not a possibility), but you could have intra-abdominal fat leading to your abdomen protruding. You could also have an intestinal disorder like IBS that could lead to abdominal bloating related to stress. We also tend to gain weight as we get older.